Sweet Protection

Stronger, lighter, better. The Sweet mantra can be traced back to a school paper from 1988, made by one of the founders and design manager, Ståle Møller. With a group of friends, Ståle had already spent two years on making the best skateboards in his hometown of Trysil. Skateboarding was prohibited in Norway until 1989 – the only country in the world where the government judged it too dangerous.

In 1997, freestyle kayaking was taking off. As the local river was closer than the dream of pacific surf, freestyle kayaking became rapidly popular in Trysil. All of a sudden you could make surf moves in the local river! The existing kayaks were crap, and Ståle made a kayak revolution when developing a Kevlar wonder for his friend and top kayaker, Erik Martinsen. The plan was to start a kayak company, SNM (Ståle Norman Møller) Playboats, but it kind of vanished in the haze. Instead the first spark to the Sweet brand was emerging. Still in design school, Ståle made a carbon fiber helmet Erik could use in the freestyle kayak world championships. The kayak equipment in those days was kind of ‘soviet agricultural chic', and Ståle's fresh design was breathtaking. Everybody wanted it, and soon the garage production from the early Bushmade days was keeping family and neighbours awake at night again.
The years passed by, but the dream is coming true for the friends from Trysil . The inspiration from the California skateboard and surfing culture is still there, but now it is a way of life too. Cultivating childhood activities as you grow older is a privilege that the Sweet founders enjoy. Spending time on the mountains and in the waves makes both life and products better.